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NTSB: Jacksonville-area pilot in Smokies plane crash wasn't flying with instruments

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) - A preliminary report on a fatal plane crash in the Tennessee mountains has found the pilot was using visual flight rules when weather conditions required flying with instruments.

Authorities have said 41-year-old pilot David Starling, his 8-year-old son Hunter, and Starling's girlfriend, 42-year-old Kim Smith died in the crash on Dec. 26 when the single-engine plane went down about 15 miles from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport. All were from Bradford County, Florida.

Photos: Jacksonville-area plane crashes in Great Smokey Mountains

The Knoxville News Sentinel on Wednesday quoted the National Transportation Safety Board as saying the weather at the time of the crash was such that it required pilots to fly using instrument flight rules.

Starling's airman certification from the Federal Aviation Administration shows he wasn't rated to fly with instruments.

Mother of child on board Jacksonville-area missing plane speaks out on social media

Officials say David Starling wasn't rated to fly with instruments, which was required for the weather conditions during their Dec. 26 flight through the Great Smoky Mountains:

Posted by Action News Jax on Wednesday, January 4, 2017